THE Department of Justice on Wednesday confirmed that the International Criminal Court has reached out and that the department will assist it in securing prosecution witnesses in the trial of former President Rodrigo Duterte who stands accused of crimes against humanity over his bloody drug war.
“There’s an official [talk] already, they have gone to our Witness Protection Program to secure the people who may be needed to testify in The Hague, and so we have given our support and cooperation as this request is well-founded, based on the safety, necessity to bring the witnesses safely to the Hague,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla told ANC’s “Headstart.”
Remulla said that the Philippine government will also extend financial assistance to the witnesses in order for them to travel to The Hague, Netherlands, where the Duterte’s trial is taking place..
“Only the witnesses will be assisted, because they do not have the resources to (to go to The Hague,” Remulla said.
Kristina Conti, one of the lawyers of the EJK victims, said she was “pleasantly surprised” with the DOJ’s position that “aligns with that of the drug war victims.”
“I’m also more surprised on the offer of assistance to the victims who would testify before the court,” she said.
For Conti, the DOJ’s action can be interpreted as “cooperation with the ICC,” despite its earlier remarks to the contrary.
“I would say this is cooperation with the ICC. This is precisely one of the elements that are required for state parties to do. These are among their obligations, to protect witnesses, assist the court in the conduct of proceedings,” Conti told ANC’s Dateline.
Conti said the DOJ’s stance may help encourage other EJK victims who were afraid of coming forward without government protection.
